Caverns and Cats
by Azrael Heavenblade
Summary: Mistii and Ursus, sister and brother, are in the process of exploring the as of yet unknown Paludal Caverns when they are separated by a horde of Patog Phlerg Fiends, and Mistii is badly wounded trying to escape. But she finds rescuers in the Vah Shir.


Mistii looked around the Paludal caverns from the entrance and smirked. "These are the caves everyone is so scared of?" she asked partly to herself, smoothing back her pale blond pigtails. Ursus peered out into the darkness, but couldn't see more than a few of the insects that were crawling over the dark muddy ground. "Well, they may not look like much, but supposedly it's easy to get overwhelmed and get lost when trying to escape, so we better be careful when hunting here," he muttered, and started down the slippery path to a small lake.  
  
After a half an hour, they had worked deep into the caverns, and were dragging a fairly large group of Patog Phlarg Fiends. While it would not be overwhelmingly difficult to face them right now, the two Barbarians needed to get to a place where they could funnel the fiends through one or two at a time. As Ursus scouted the way ahead of him, Mistii brought up the rear, casting poison spells over her shoulder as she ran.  
  
After a few minutes of running, Ursus spotted a bend in the passages where they could make a stand. "Let's go right around herMMPH!" he began to shout back but was cut off as a blue claw gripped his throat and lifted him off the ground. It was Ch' Tok, an extremely large Shiknar who was rumored to live in the caverns. He was not that big of a danger to the two young adventurers, but with eight patog phlarg fiends following them?  
  
Two days later . . .  
  
The eternal darkness covered the land near the Vah Shir city of Shar Vahl, but it was somehow early on in the day. Nevertheless, two of its citizens were awake bright and early....Tutayn and Hetais looked around furtively as they stood on the banks of the lake in Hollowshade Moor. The older Beastlord looked around for monsters while the younger Shaman kept an eye on the lure bobbing in the water. The tiger-striped Tutayn afforded a glance backwards and whispered, "Any bites yet?" There came a terse reply, "For the fifth time, not yet! If you're so eager, why don't you ask the fish spirits to send some of their brethren our way?"  
  
Suddenly, Hetais' bobber dipped underneath the water. He pulled gently on the rod, so as not to snap the line, but the bobber did not halt it's plunge downwards. In fact, the pull on the line grew intensely strong. "Whoa! You got a big one! Perhaps Rnayni will be able to make sautéed fish fillet for once!" Tutayn exclaimed excitedly, licking his whiskers in anticipation. The leopard-spotted shaman gave no reply, just pulling with all his might on the line. Inch by inch, the line was pulled back in, and a patch of what appeared to be gold colored moss drifted to the surface.  
  
Frowning, but not undaunted, Hetais pulled even harder and brought a humanoid form onto the sandy bank. Tutayn's eyes grew wide and he leaped down onto the bank to join his brother. He wiped the moss away from the figure's face, and a female visage appeared, but not a Vah Shir face, and furless! Hetais stepped back in shock, hissing in surprise. Tutayn however, moved down look carefully at her face, which was a frightening shade of blue. He carefully felt for her pulse, as Animist Poren had shown him to do, and discovered one, weak, fading. Knowing what he must do, he pulled off the chain mail that covered her chest and found where her breastbone started on her ribcage, aligned his hands, and began pumping rhythmically. After a set of pumping he tilted her head back and pinched her nose shut, and placed his mouth over hers, exhaling powerfully. A glance to her ribcage told him it was moving, so her airway was not obstructed. Another set of pumping, and water began pouring out of her mouth. As Tutayn bent back over her to begin more breathing, the woman began coughing, and sat up partially, expelling what was left of the lake water in her lungs.  
  
After it was over, she collapsed to the ground, asleep, exhausted by her ordeal. Tutayn sighed in relief and looked over to Hetais with a questioning look, as if to ask, "So what do we do now?" Hetais just shuddered and backed away further. "Best take her to the city I suppose, nearly drowned, poor thing. You going to help me lift her?" Tutayn asked, but Hetais shook his head and ran off, calling back over his shoulder, his tail bushed out in anxiety, "No way! Bad enough you kissed that thing! You carry her! And don't use our place to house her in either!" Tutayn sighed, his ears drooping. Struggling, he managed to sling her over his shoulder and walked back towards the gate of Shar Vahl. Urgh, she weighs about the same as Jatha! And that's one heavy female Vah Shir! But then again, its mainly to her size and muscles, but still! Wish Hetais had stayed, don't know why he's so squeamish, I had to do emergency breathing on her or she wasn't going to make it! Wasn't that bad when I think about it, considering its my first time putting the technique to use, but let's worry about that later, she's going to need some rest. But I wonder what she was doing in the river? Tutayn thought silently as he marched past the astonished guards into the finest city of Luclin, Shar Vahl.  
  
Mistii swam back to consciousness slowly, as if climbing out of a morass of dark, thick tar, images slowly beginning to form in the bright blur of her vision. As more sight returned to her, so did sensations, warmth of a blanket stretched over her, fine as silk yet dense to keep heat in. A cot was under her back, and she thought to herself, A bed? How did I get . . . ouch! Pain also returned in that moment, a vise clenching at her ribs, the ones that had been cracked in her madcap race for the surface. Groaning, she stretched an arm out from underneath the covers to clutch at her ribcage. I think she's coming awake Strange voices echoed as she began to hear noises again, the crackling of a fire, the liquid sound of someone stirring a pot simmering on that same fire, and murmurs of surprise that sounded somehow strange, as if not quite human. A dark shape swam into view and she strained to lend clarity to it. Abruptly, her vision returned and the image snapped into the visage of a dark-furred feline muzzle staring down at her.  
  
"BY THE SIX HAMMERS!!!" Mistii yelped and attempted to spring backwards out of the bed but only succeeded in smashing her head against the wall behind her and causing her ribs to flare in pain. As she slid back down to the cot, she gave a low keening cry of pain and the Vah Shir who had stood over her got a worried look on her face. I thought you had healed her Tutayn! the black panther colored female called in Combine back to where the Beastlord was sitting, attempting to fuse more silk threads into bandages. I did! I emptied my spiritual energy reserves several times and didn't even come close to getting her ribs done. he replied, his striped tail swishing indignantly. I've been working on making more bandages as I wait for it to replenish, Hetais is the healer, why don't you ask him Jatha? The warrior looked up to where Hetais was mixing several items together to perfect his brewing and he answered her with a sneer of contempt, sniffed haughtily and went back to his work. Guess that answers that question. Is Terash back from Shadeweaver yet? His talents as Jharin could come into use here, Jatha asked, looking away from the shaman.  
  
Did someone mention my name? came a voice from the doorway. A puma pelted male Vah Shir stepped in, weighted down by several silk bags, his clay drum hanging from a loop on his belt and his lute strapped to his back. As Jatha sighed in relief, he rounded the corner to suddenly notice their houseguest. Whoa! he gasped, blinked furiously as if trying to clear an illusion and looked again at the Barbarian woman who was sitting up and trying to rub her head and keep an arm on her ribs at the same time. Whoa, indeed, the Siamese-furred female Vah Shir remarked over her shoulder as she lifted a ladle to her lips to test the broth she had been preparing. I hope I got this right...I'm still not very good at this . . . she whispered to herself as she scooped several ladlefuls into a brightly colored bowl and brought it over to a low table set up near the cot and set the steaming broth down.  
  
Hungry? You should be; you look half starved, poor thing, she asked Mistii, looking at her with blue eyes set apart from the dark mask of her face against her cream colored fur as she proffered a spoonful of the broth. The shamaness tried to take the spoon, but her hand shook as she lifted it from the covers, and she set it back down. The Vah Shir smiled gently, and fed her slowly, and Mistii realized that she was very hungry. After the broth was all gone, she took a small square of cloth and cleaned off Mistii's face, where some of the broth had spilled out from lips unused to eating. "Feel like a baby again," Mistii muttered, her face turning red. All of the Vah Shir in the room looked at each other, realizing that they had been talking in a language she didn't know. Her hand much steadier now, Mistii reached out and took the hand of the female who had fed her, and stroked the soft fur, keeping away from the clawed nails at the end of the fingers. "Wow, you really do come in all colors don't you?" Mistii remarked.  
  
"Well, yes, but really there are only eight or so variations," the female replied uncertainly after a while, her speech marked by a heavy accent. Mistii looked at her in shock, her mouth gaping. "You can speak Common?" "Yes, we can, we usually only speak in the language of the Combine Empire when among just ourselves," she answered, shifting as if she wanted to get up, but made no move to remove her hand. Mistii dropped it and sat up all the way and suddenly it occurred to her that she was no longer wearing her chain mail. Looking down, she saw the same open shirt that the Vah Shir females were wearing, under which were several bandages across her chest, and the brief bikini, with a hole in the back for a tail she didn't have. The Vah Shir noticed her look and told her, "Oh sorry, we had to get your armor off to tend your wounds, since most of your own clothes were torn and ripped, we fitted you into some of Jatha's clothes, since you and she are about the same size. My name is Rnayni, and you are in the glorious city of Shar Vahl." "And who is . . . Jatha?" Mistii asked, looking critically at the shirt, as if expecting it to fall open any second. "That would be me," Jatha replied, her gold eyes glittering in her ebony furred face. Mistii looked up at her briefly, and then back down at the shirt. She tugged experimentally at one of the edges and found it snug against her skin. "How . . . does this stay on?" she asked rhetorically, but Jatha answered her anyways. "It's made of silk, which is naturally very sheer, and we make it tight on purpose, so the natural shape of our bodies keeps the fabric on through friction, even in strenuous activity. That way, we won't . . . how do you say . . . spill out." "I see," Mistii replied, and a wave of dizziness swept over her. Rnayni helped her lie back down and replaced a cool wet cloth that had fallen off her forehead earlier. "You should rest more, we'll tell you everything in the morning," she told her and nodded to Terash, who was tuning his lute. He winked in reply and began strumming a soothing tune, and before she knew it, Mistii was asleep.  
  
Have you decided what to do about her? Hetais asked as he and Tutayn stepped out into the misty darkness. No, and I wish you'd stop badgering me about it, Tutayn replied, his tail swishing angrily, but he was scratching his chin like he usually did when he was in deep thought. She's from the original planet then, do you suppose? Hetais added after a while, as they walked past the arena towards the palace. Yes, why else do you think we're on our way to see the king? If the texts I studied were correct, she's a Barbarian, from the north of Norrath, there's none of them in the Combine, so that can be the only explanation, Tutayn responded. Hetais stopped short and exclaimed, How did she get up here then? By flying? No, they must have found a way to link Shadow Haven to Norrath somehow, but the only mage capable of doing that is Al'Kabor. It could be that he's returned, and established a link with Luclin, and that's why we're going to see the king, rather than simply the evidence of a visitor from Norrath. Where there's one, there's bound to be others, Tutayn remarked as they walked up the steps to the palace.  
  
Kerra Raj was sitting down to his feast when the messenger ran up and kneeled by his throne. The Vah Shir king frowned slightly, but nodded, as the only reason for interrupting his meal would be a message of grave importance. The messenger inclined his head in response and stood up and said, My lord, there are two young initiates who claim to have knowledge of a visitor from Norrath. Kerra Raj's eyes bulged in surprise. How can this be? Send them in, quickly!  
  
Later . . .  
  
I see. You did the right thing then, we shall have to send a runner to Shadow Haven immediately. We will have to begin relations with the . . . mother planet as soon as possible to garner the most positive results, the king told the two young Vah Shir after they had finished their story, their heads still bowed reverently where they kneeled on the marble floor. Kerra Raj shook his maned head and looked back at the feast, and the waiting courtesans. I suppose the feast can wait a little. I would like to see this . . . visitor if you would bring her to me at the palace, he asked Tutayn. The Beastlord thought for a moment and then replied, Forgive my forwardness, but she is bedridden with injuries, we are attempting to heal her post-haste, but she needs rest. Very well then, show me the way to your domicile. If she is unable to speak to me yet, I will return here thus. Otherwise, she, and you both will attend us here to notify us of the specific situation, the lion-like king spoke with a sigh, and got up from his throne and gathered up his royal staff. A-at once my liege! Tutayn exclaimed, jumping to his feet, and started off at a slow walk out towards the exit of the palace. As the king and his attendants filed in behind him, he attempted to get his heart under control, where it threatened to leap from his furry chest. The king, a guest in our house? This will bring honor almost as great as a public acclamation! he thought to himself as he rounded the corner to the main square, the entourage following behind him.  
  
Jatha was carefully removing the rust from Mistii's chain mail when Tutayn, followed closely by Hetais burst into the room. His green eyes were wild with excitement, the pupils widened to fill almost the entire iris. The king is coming to see the Barbarian woman! Get ready quickly! he gasped, as Hetais struggled to clean up swiftly. Her tail puffed out in surprise and she dropped the chain mail and ran over to the bench where the armor and weapons off the family were stored and quickly donned her leather armor, slipping her weapons into their sheaths, buckling her shield onto her back as she tried to fasten the straps on her clothes simultaneously. Rnayni also was scurrying over to the bench, leaving Mistii's side to get her own weapons and armor ready. Terash paused in removing his tunic and put it back on, carefully replacing his instruments. When the king finally walked in, preceded by two saber-toothed guards, all five bowed deeply, and then dropped to their knees as was customary.  
  
The king nodded briefly at them, then strode over to the cot on which Mistii had been laid. She was sleeping, but feverishly, and she tossed and turned occasionally. So, this is a Barbarian? She looks like a normal human, but she is of our size and build, he murmured under his breath, his tail twitching interestedly. He lifted the covers back slightly and checked the bandaging job. He then turned to Tutayn and told him, Excellent job, young one. Your skill with making bandages and applying them is superb, continue to work hard, so that you may later serve our citizenry with your talents. Tutayn nodded, and remained silent, but could scarcely disguise the purr of pleasure at being praised by the king. Kerra Raj laid the back of his hand against Mistii's forehead, and then withdrew it, nodding. You are right, she is in no condition to travel. Keep up with the healing, if you need assistance, ask your guildmaster for aid, and tell him I authorized it. As soon as she can walk, and speak and think coherently, bring her to the palace, he commanded, then nodded to his guards and walked out. No sooner had the door closed, the five young Vah Shir burst into exclamations of happiness, and the sound briefly woke Mistii, who opened one eye, and then groaned and flipped over. They forcibly calmed themselves down and Rnayni returned to replace the damp cloth that she had removed in intentions to replace it when the king arrived. So, what do we do now brother? Terash asked. We wait for her to get better.  
  
The coughing hoot of an owl-bear carried over the wall from Hollowshade Moor, as night, or what passed for night in the permanent darkness over Shar Vahl got into full swing. Tutayn slept on the floor, the others in the row of beds on the top floor, the remaining cot having been taken by Mistii. While they were sleeping, she was not. She had woken a few hours earlier to find her ribs mended and fever gone, but pretended to continue her injured state further to avoid attracting attention. While she didn't exactly fear her furry hosts and hostesses, she desperately needed to get back to the caverns to rescue her brother. As silently as she could, she slid the covers off her and stepped over to where her armor and mended cloths were lying on the table. The night was cool, but not freezing, yet she still felt cold in the slight silk shirt and bikini bottom they had fitted her into. She plucked lightly at the top momentarily, still puzzling over it, but shrugged and tugged it off, her breasts falling pendulously out now that they were no longer supported. The bikini bottom came next, and she stood unclad in the chill darkness for a second before struggling into her plaid kilt and leather top, and then strapped on her chain mail and snapped together the links on her jaundiced bone armor, and looked warily at Tutayn, but he just flicked an ear at the noise and rolled over, still asleep. Out of nowhere, she got an absurd urge to go run her hands through his fur, but she shrugged it down, picked up her Mortificator's Staff from where it lay among the other weapons and ran out into the night.  
  
She wandered aimlessly for a while until she came upon a bridge stretching out to a tunnel carved into the mountainside, which was where she was undoubtedly brought in from. Two guards stood to either side of her, staring straight ahead, and two more were stationed on the other end of the bridge. Grimacing, she stepped back into the shadows and used her magic to make the guards sleepy, and walked past them as their heads nodded, and repeated the trick on the other two guards at the other end and walked into the tunnel which became a hallway. She came out the other end of the hall and found herself at the gate to Hollowshade Moor. The guards that should have been there were out chasing vermin away from the gates, and she got past them with no problems. She looked at the map given to her at Shadowhaven, and walked slowly and carefully towards the river, where the entrance to Paludal was near. Avoiding Rhino Beetles and Rockhoppers along the way, she finally found the river where Tutayn and Hetais had discovered her a week before. She was looking for the entrance when a chilling howl stopped her dead in her tracks. She looked up behind her and saw a strange wolf-like creature swinging its head back and forth as if looking for something. Suddenly, it swung its head towards her and bared its teeth. As she backed away, she noticed with a shock that it had no eyes. How can it see me? She wondered, and then heard a series of sharp whines emit from the wolf creature's muzzle and it followed her every move, and began trotting slowly towards her. Sonar . . . she thought wonderingly, but then the wolf leapt at her with a snarl.  
  
A few minutes later, Mistii stepped backwards from the rooted wolf creature as it pulled at its magical bonds with terrifying strength. It was too strong, she could barely hold it at bay before, and she was losing almost all her mana just to keep it rooted and herself healed, and was attempting to keep her degenerative spells on it but was forced to fight it hand-to- hand when it broke root. I'm going to die, she thought with certainty as the wolf broke its right fore paw from root and started to pull its other paws free. However, several snarling shapes dropped from the riverbank down on top of the wolf, which she identified as the Vah Shir she had seen before at the house.  
  
Tutayn's claws flashed as he pounded the wolf creature from the front, taking most of the thing's blows while Hetais stood off to the side and healed him. Rnayni plunged her daggers into the wolf's backside, and Jatha along with Terash swung their swords furiously at it. Finally, the creature gave one last feeble whine and fell over dead. The five Vah Shir staggered away from it and collapsed in a heap. After a few minutes had passed, Hetais began to chuckle. We're alive . . . we did it! he crowed and patted Tutayn on the back. The older Beastlord paid no mind and instead fixed his emerald eyes on Mistii, who stood uncertainly a distance away. "That, was a full-grown sonic wolf, and a pack leader no less! What made you think you could take it on solo? The five of us probably should have all died facing it, if you hadn't already drained it partially of health!" he told her, and she blushed in spite of herself. "I . . . I'm sorry . . . " she managed. Tutayn just shook his head and struggled to his feet. "It's of no matter now, since you seem to be feeling so vigorous now, perhaps you are finally ready to talk to the king," he muttered and waved for her to follow him. As the group walked back towards the city, Mistii thought to herself, The king? He must know of me . . . how do I explain how I got here? Hopefully we can set something up so that the Vah Shir won't take our appearance as an invasion . . . and then there's the matter of getting back . . . the portal to Shadow Haven is only one way . . .   
  
Kerra Raj lowered the goblet of cream and licked his whiskers, then placed his other hand on the neck of his tiger guard-cat and began to scratch it absently. It was all Mistii could do to prevent herself from laughing. He was so unbelieving cat-like, the combination of him lapping up cream and petting another cat seemed so ridiculous, she felt giggles bubbling up inside her; but she forced them down and bowed along with the rest of her Vah Shir companions. "Rise, young . . . barbarian," the king told her, with a heavy accent. She stood slowly, and stood with her hands clasped nervously behind her back. "Now," he continued, "Tell me the story of how you happened to arrive here."  
  
"Well," she started, "I guess it all started when Al'Kabor returned." Kerra Raj's eyes widened, but he waved for her to keep going. "He used some sort of powerful magic to alter the more powerful of the wizard spires on Norrath, in the Greater Faydark, in North Karana, Toxxulia Forest, and in the Dreadlands of Kunark. Since then, people called Nexus Scions have appeared at those locations, handing out small crystals so that people can travel to the Nexus, which is located in a city within the moon called Shadow Haven. They are currently working on getting certain scions to find a way back down to Norrath, but they can't find a spell yet to send a person to a specific spire. I left Shadow Haven with my brother, a warrior, and was traveling through the Paludal Caverns when we were overwhelmed by a horde of Patag Phlarg Fiends. I was separated from him as we ran, and I was almost overtaken when I reached the surface, and I guess I was knocked unconscious, and fell into the river in the place you call Hollowshade Moor. It was there that . . . Tutayn and Hetais found me. And that's how I'm here. . . milord," she told him, and kneeled again when she was done. Kerra Raj rubbed his whiskers thoughtfully, and nodded, rising from the throne. He stepped forwards and placed a small amulet in her hand. "Very well then, you may search for your brother, but be advised not to go alone. This amulet will grant you temporary citizenship, so use it to stock up on provisions before you leave, and pay your taxes respectively," he told her and turned away, signaling the end to the discussion.  
  
As Mistii and the five young Vah Shir left, a short scribe boy scampered up and kneeled at the king's side. As customary, Kerra Raj began his reflection. So, Al'Kabor is back, or was present at least for a short time. Apparently, Shadow Haven is harboring those who are arriving from the Old Planet, which is good, but I'm not sure if the visitors are ready to start making the journey to the surface. The woman is young yet, and I am sure there will be others more experienced than her arriving soon. We do not know of which of the old races will appear next, it may indeed be the denizens of this . . . Kunark. . . place. I had never heard of it until the young lady mentioned it, apparently, it has been discovered in recent times on Norrath, why else wouldn't it be mentioned it our annals? We must be prepared to meet these visitors indeed . . . a proclamation may be necessary. Yes, scribe? Here is the proclamation, 'We have been alerted of visitors arriving from the old planet of Norrath. One of their emissaries has already reached us, and we have had peaceable relations. You are to treat the visitors with the customary respect, unless they prove belligerent. By order of the king, they are to be our honorable guests in the fine city of Shar Vahl.' Posters should be placed at the usual locations. Yes, liege, the kitten replied, and hurried off.  
  
Down in the market, Mistii was sorting through various foods and drinks, purchasing the ones recommended by Rnayni, as Hetais followed them, grumbling. "If you're a shaman, why can't you not summon food and drink on your own?" he complained, as Mistii loaded dried payala chips into one of her bags. "Because, summoned food doesn't last that long. I have no idea how long it will be until a portal back will be possible, so I need something that will keep. It's more tasty than summoned food certainly," she replied. He muttered something in Combine under his breath, and Rnayni hissed at him, giving her the impression that whatever he said, it was probably about her, and not very nice. Tutayn, Jatha, and Terash met them at the bridge, all three of them in full leather armor and their weapons. Jatha eyed Mistii's chain-mail armor, as if wishing she had something similar. Saying as much, Jatha murmured, "I wish I could smith something like that . . . " Mistii smiled, and told her, "If more people from Norrath arrive here, they'll be able to sell you things that are far better, and likely more cheap than buying armor here. How can you earn any money with all the taxes here?" Jatha's eyes glittered at the prospect of possibly plate armor, but still she replied, "Taxes are a necessary part of the upkeep of this city, and besides, we get free health care and education, so it all balances out." Tutayn was looking over a map, which he rolled up and stuck in a backpack. "Well, the easiest was is through Shadeweaver's Thicket, where we simply follow the path to the Gor Taku tunnels, we may find some Shak Dratha there, but we shouldn't have much trouble otherwise getting through," he declared, and had started off when Mistii called from behind him, "What are Gor Taku and Shak Dratha?" He shouted back over their shoulder as they walked, "They are supposedly the aboriginal species inhabiting this planet before even we arrived. The Gor Taku are suspicious, but not unfriendly, but the Shak Dratha detest us for no reason at all."  
  
The trip through the thicket was uneventful, though they once had to take a little sidetrack to avoid a Saurek Claw Beast as they made their way to the tunnels. As they walked down the slippery stone ramps, Mistii noticed the small, brown colored aliens wandering back and forth along the tunnels. "Are those the Gor Taku?" she asked. "Yes, be wary of the black colored ones, those are the Shak Dratha, they've infested the tunnel, and attack anyone who isn't Gor Taku or Shak Dratha," Jatha responded. As if speaking of them summoned them, a black stumpy shape began running towards them, squawking in a strange language. Six weapons all collided with it, and it fell in a second. No sooner had Tutayn lifted its coins from its body than it began to fade. Mistii was astonished at how quickly it was disappearing, but the others paid it no mind. Finally, they arrived at an extremely dark, fungus-filled tunnel. "This, is the entrance to the Caverns," Rnayni told her, and the barbarian nodded determinately. "We're coming to get you Ursus, hang on," she whispered under her breath as she started off into the darkness.  
  
A low dripping could be heard coming from everywhere as the five Vah Shir and one Barbarian walked through the fungus filled tunnels, pausing every so often to eliminate the Patag Phlarg fiends that attacked the younger Vah Shir, and as such, they relied on Mistii more often than not to end the battle for them. After a run-in with a couple owl-bear cubs, they realized they were completely turned around and lost. As Hetais healed some of his wounds, he grumbled with his tail lashing, "We're never going to get out of here, we're going to have to eat mushrooms and drink murky water forever!" "Oh, hush up!" Jatha reprimanded, her black fur blending in perfectly with the darkness and the granite walls. Mistii, unconcerned with Hetais' perpetual griping, called off into the darkness, "Ursus! Where are you? Shout back if you can hear me!" She waited for a minute before repeating the call. As she drew breath for a third shout, Tutayn gently placed a hand on her shoulder. He told her gently, "We may still yet be too far for him to hear us, if he's even still alive." She pulled her arm away angrily, muttering, "We're going to find him, I know it. Nothing can kill him, nothing!" With that, she ran off by herself into another tunnel leading downwards. Sighing, Tutayn hurried after her, with their companions following close behind.  
  
Suddenly, as they rounded a bend, they could hear a faint voice shouting back, "Mistii!" Heartened, Mistii ran faster, until she was standing next to a extremely large rock, where the voice seemed to emanate next to. "Where are you?" she asked, tugging on one of her blond pigtails. "In here!" came the reply from a rounded hole in the cave wall down near the floor. As they gathered round, a great shaggy head pushed it's way through that very hole, and the Vah Shir gasped. Ursus had obviously seen better days, his hair matted down with mud, his mutton-chops beard weighted down with the stuff, and his face was all dirty and streaked. His brown eyes glittered with relief as he gazed up at his sister, but they hardened and grew suspicious when he saw the Vah Shir standing fearful behind her. "And who are these mangy alley cats?" he growled, looking each in the eye one by one. "Mangy?!" Hetais cried, and struggled forwards against Jatha, who held him back. "They're the Vah Shir, bro, and they're the intelligent species living on the moon. They're here to help," Mistii told him gently, though slightly amused at Hetais' outrage. "Sure . . . They just look like overgrown Kerrans to me!" he retorted, but he seemed to be calming himself down. Rnayni, however, giggled and asked, "Why is your brother a dwarf?" Ursus' eyes snapped wide open in shock, and he responded with a roar that made her leap back in fright, her fur puffed out and ears laid back. "DWARF?! DWARF!!! I'LL SHOW YOU A DWARF YOU FLEABAG!!!" he shouted, and his head pulled back into the hole with an audible pop.  
  
Barely a second later, the enormous stone crashed aside, and Ursus' huge frame stepped out. The warrior was staggeringly large, even for a Barbarian, nearing eight feet at the shoulder, and nearly the size of an ogre in sheer muscle mass. He very much fit the legendary bear of his namesake. He stomped right up to the rogue, nostrils flaring, and leaned down so his eyes were even with hers. "Who do you think is a dwarf now, shrimp?" he asked her menacingly. "Bro . . . " Mistii warned, and handed him a summoned water flask with which to clean his face. He dumped it over his head, scrubbing furiously with a rough cloth he had pulled from his belt. After he was done, his skin showed clearer, and his hair was less matted, but he still looked as if he hadn't shaved or taken a proper bath in a week. Jatha couldn't help but snort and comment, "That's not much difference." Ursus silenced her with a glare and started off down the continuing ramp. As they followed behind him, Mistii asked him, "Just what were you doing in that cave anyways?" He shivered for a moment, then called back over his shoulder, "Long story, basically, every time I tried to go out, one of those Patog Phlarg fiends would spot me and call every single damn one in the network down on top of me! I had found that after I broke free from that Shiknar thing, and the rock just sorta rolled in there after me, due to the stampede of uglies! I saw you dash off in the other direction, but I couldn't search for you because of those watchers that the flaming fiends had posted outside. In the meantime, I started drawing a map of the turns we took, so I think I know the way back down to Shadow Haven now." He tossed a rolled up scroll to her, and Tutayn leaned over her shoulder to take a look at it as she unrolled it.  
  
The map, if it could be called that, was a mess of scribbled lines and arrows, but clearly marked at the bottom was a dot labeled Shadow Haven. "So, where are we?" Tutayn asked, sarcastically. Ursus stopped, and silently jabbed a finger at a fork a small ways off from Shadow Haven. They followed the rough map until they wound down to the final path leading to the city. Just as the gates came in sight, a chorus of howls and clicks sounded from behind them. A wave of Patog Phlarg fiends was bearing down on them, headed by Ch'Tok. "Ready for round two of the bloody things?" Ursus grunted, pulling out two large axes, and Mistii nodded as she stepped in beside him, raising her staff. Behind them, the Vah Shir prepared themselves nervously. With a hiss, the huge insect lunged at Obelisk, and he met it with a roar of his own. The fiends funneled around him and Mistii, who stood directly behind him, but they could only fit one past at a time. As such, Tutayn and the others were able to dispatch them fairly easily. Ch'Tok proved to be a bit more difficult, jabbing with his sharp claws and attempting to bite the large Barbarian with his mandibles. However, with seven people now attacking him, he was overwhelmed shortly. "Nothing to it, eh? Now let's see what he's got," Ursus chuckled, and began searching the Shiknar's body as the Vah Shir took the money from what turned out to be little more than eleven Patog Phlarg Fiends. Tutayn sagged to his knees suddenly, and Mistii dashed to his side. It was harder to tell than a normal person, but the Vah Shir was clearly sick. "One . . . of them . . . clawed me in the side . . . " he gasped, pointing to a tear in his leather armor. "It . . . burns . . . feel . . . . . weak . . ." he sighed, and tried to lie down, but Mistii propped him up, and both she and Hetais began casting a spell to cure disease. After a few minutes, he stood shakily to his feet, grinned sheepishly, and said, "Thanks, I guess I forgot about how the fiends are supposed to inflict disease on whomever they attack." "Hey, forget that, take a look at this!" Ursus called from behind them. In his hands were some leg plates and a large dagger that was mainly a blade, but with a handle at the bottom. "These are for the warrior," he muttered, nonchalantly tossing the metal armor at Jatha, who stared at them wonderingly. "And this, this is for the Beastlord, since we don't have any monks around," he said, handing the dagger-like weapon to Tutayn. As he turned it in his hands, he got a puzzled look on his face and asked, confused, "How.do I use this?" Ursus called back from where he was walking towards the gate, "It's called a katar, tomcat! You don't jab with it like a dagger, you punch with it!" Hurriedly, they followed him into Shadow Haven.  
  
The guards waved amiably to Ursus and Mistii as they arrived, but they leveled their pikes at the Vah Shir. After a hurried explanation, they lifted the pole arms reluctantly. The Vah Shir looked wonderingly around at the dark granite buildings, but they were not received warmly as people shrunk back in doubt at the huge cat people. Mistii tugged on Ursus' plate pauldron, to get him to stop and let the newcomers explore, but he strode on determinedly towards the Nexus. Once there, he grabbed the nearest available Scion and asked her roughly, "Yo, yeh got a portal back home up yet?" The human woman coughed nervously, cleared her throat and replied, "Well, almost, we've just sent the first person back as an experiment. It was fairly simple, actually, all we had to do was figure out the specific magic tied to the teleportation spells of wizards to get the stones set to the specific spires. It shall be a day or two until we are sure the stones are ready to send you back, so you'll have to wait." He heaved a huge, depressed sigh, and lowered her gently. She smiled consolingly, and patted his shaggy cheek before trotting off, calmly but hurriedly. "Well, as long as we're here, why don't we show them the town?" Mistii piped up, and he nodded dejectedly, and followed them doggedly as they walked back up the steps, dragging his feet.  
  
After careful explanations at the shops and governmental buildings they stopped at, each Vah Shir had purchased various items, mainly new foods, and several books of each of their trades. Jatha had gotten herself some cheap fine steel armor to complement her new greaves, and the rest had gotten banded armor, with the exception of Tutayn, who found nothing better to be offered than he had already tailored himself. They stopped at the inn, where they gathered in Mistii and Ursus' room to eat. After they were finished, Mistii asked the Vah Shir hesitantly, "Well, I think we've had enough exploring for a while, so we're going to head back to Norrath. If you like, you could join us. How about it?" Jatha, Rnayni, and Terash all nodded enthusiastically, and Tutayn joined them after careful thought, but Hetais leaped towards the door. His tail swished angrily, as he told them, "No way! I'm going back to Shar Vahl! I didn't even get asked whether or not I wanted to go on this crazy mission anyhow!" Rather than being angry, Mistii raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, then exclaimed, "That's perfect! You can start up relations between Shadow Haven's visitors and Shar Vahl! If you allow for some way for the arrivals from Norrath to make it into Shar Vahl safely, we can start business between the two planets!" Hetais' whiskers drooped, but he nodded, clasping a paw to his forehead and he thought to himself, And here I thought I wouldn't get mixed up with any more foreigners! Spirits, why me?  
  
"Right, so explain it to me again," Ursus asked the scion standing in the middle of the Nexus. The Vah Shir shivered nervously at the dark waters flowing through the grooves in the floor, but their shaking had more to do with excitement than fear. The scion nodded, and continued, "At each of the compass points, there are now chambers with scions that will take one to a specified wizard spire back on Norrath. They have done so by infusing the spell into a teleportation pad, all you have to do is stand on it once the scion completes the complex incantation. Now, for the directions. To the North, there is the portal to Faydwer, along with the tunnel to Netherbian, but I do not think you wish to travel there. To the West, you will find two scions, one to the Odus spire, the other to the continent of Velious. To the South, one will discover the portal to Kunark. Finally, the pad to the East leads to . . . "  
  
"Antonica!" Ursus interrupted. "That's where we want to go!" he exclaimed. Mistii nodded, her hand on her chin. "We haven't been back to Halas in a while . . . the run through the Karanas might be tough, but we can make it. Besides, I need new spells. Oh, right, Tutayn, I have a favor to ask if we do this," she commented, then turned to the Beastlord. "Yes, what is it?" he asked cautiously, mentally forcing his ears to stop trying to lay back. "Since Halas is one of perhaps four cities that hold established guilds of the shamanic arts, you should confer with the guildmasters once we arrive. There are many who show aptitude for being a warrior as well as magic among the Barbarians, I think you could train them in becoming Beastlords themselves!" she told him. He lowered his head and his tail twitched, and in a scandalized voice, he said, "But . . . I'm not even three fourths towards earning a surname, how could I possibly teach?" Mistii smiled, and she stretched out a hand to catch his flailing tail, and caught it, which caused his ears to lay back totally. "Don't be embarrassed, your students could learn and grow along with you. And besides, you can come back and train any time you want to, now that you can shift between the planets any time you like!" she replied, and he finally relaxed, though he asked in a flat voice, "Can you let go of my tail now?"  
  
She let it drop and winked at him. She started off towards the Eastern tunnel, and Tutayn couldn't help but stare after her, and those swinging pigtails. He had wanted to tug one ever since he saw her, but a jealous look from Jatha stopped him from following through on his wishes. Her eyes softened when he clasped her ebony-furred paw in his light-colored one, and they followed after the shaman. Ursus was grinning, which looked odd on his bearded face, as his teeth appeared to sprout out from underneath his heavy moustaches. "Finally, I can get back to the land of the living!" he exclaimed, but he was greeted with glares from the Nexus guards, and he went quiet, red-faced. Rnayni simply giggled at his discomfiture, and she had to dodge as the warrior inexpertly tried to imitate his sister's stunt. In order to regain some sense of dignity, he stepped up the robed scion, and asked him, "So, when does the next 'flight' leave?" The human replied, "Very soon, milord, we operate on a tight schedule, extremely similar to the passage of sea-faring vessels, once I think about it." Ursus grunted amicably, and flopped down onto the circular pad. It became a tight squeeze, as the six over-sized adventurers all tried to crowd onto the pad comfortably. No sooner had they found positions when the scion coughed and began chanting the spell. Jatha gulped in nervous anticipation, and Tutayn reached across the pad to grip her hand again. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, and she calmed down again, and actually started to purr as the haze of the teleportation spell surrounded them. In a flash, they were gone.  
  
Three months later,  
  
Jatha looked out at the snow falling outside the inn's window. She still was amazed by it, having never seen it in tropical Shar Vahl, and only read about it in books. It never seemed to end, at least not in Halas, where she had stayed with Tutayn, as he began to establish his guild. She didn't feel lonely, not with him and Mistii around, but the rest of their companions had drifted off to Qeynos. Ursus had grudgingly agreed to escort them there. From the letters that Terash occasionally brought with him on his now usual mail runs between Qeynos and Halas, things were starting to turn out right, after a few tense weeks, having to explain to the guards that the Vah Shir were not some kind of mutated Kerran, and that they were not an invasionary force. In fact, after the citizenry got used to their presence, Rnayni and Terash had been swept into their respective guilds, the humans eager to learn about the differences in training techniques as compared to the ones established here on Norrath.  
  
It certainly felt strange, but somehow familiar to be back on the "Mother Planet." The Vah Shir were descended of Kerrans, so why shouldn't they feel at home on their ancestral land? Behind her, Tutayn came awake with a yawn, arching his back and opening his mouth wide, exposing his fangs. They had been sharing this room for a while, but she still thought this morning ritual amusing. She had started to chuckle, but it was broken off as a wave of nausea swept over her. Not again, she thought to herself as she stumbled over to the basin just in case, but she was able to foist off the feelings without actually vomiting. This brought Tutayn awake. He got up and padded over to where she was standing. Are you all right? he asked her in Combine. You've been having these bouts of sickness each morning for about a month now, I'm really starting to get worried that you may have caught some kind of strange disease that we lost the immunity to on Luclin, he continued, but he stopped when she smirked and tugged at his ear. No, what I have is perfectly normal, considering the circumstances, lover, she replied, and she went over to the chest to find her clothes.  
  
Tutayn stood there confused, scratching his head, but the answer became evident when her robe dropped to the floor. The beginnings of a bulge were clearly visible on her abdomen. You're pregnant! he gasped. And you wondered why I was nervous before about you and that Barbarian woman, she said with a scoff, pulling on pants with a loose seam to accommodate her now expanding waistline. How . . . long have you known about this? he asked, still shocked. For about a month after we arrived, she responded. She stopped after she was fully dressed. The only thing I'm worried about is the litter being born here on this planet, without the typical midwives present in Shar Vahl, she told him, and went back over to where he was standing. He embraced her tightly, and she folded her arms around his waist. Stop bushing your tail, she told him after a while. Sorry, he apologized. Well, you remember what Mistii said, we can go back up to Luclin any time we want, Tutayn added after a while. Oh yeah, Jatha answered. As the couple stared out at the still falling snow, she asked him, So, what should we name them?  
  
Out in the West Karanas, birds were chirping as morning arrived. A still chill spring morning, but they had begun to return North. However, their song was broken when a diminutive wolf leapt at them from below their tree. With a chorus of outraged squawks, they took to the air. "Can't you keep a rein in on your warder McKendrin? He'll be no use to you if he wanders off, doing whatever interests him," Tutayn scolded, looking at the barbarian with a tired look. "Sorry," the redheaded young Beastlord muttered, scratching his head. And here I thought that I would have problems with tiger-based warders chasing after the game here, but the wolf ones I managed to teach the barbarians to summon are just as bad! At least we don't have any other shaman capable races learning, or we could have a huge problem on our hands, he thought as he looked back towards the camp, where Mistii was attending Jatha, who had now grown so plump with her young that she was barely able to run, much less walk. From what he had remembered from his brother's births, litters could be as large as five, though the average was two or three. Judging from how large she had gotten, he was counting on six.  
  
"U are doin it wrong . . . " "Shut up! I nos what I is doin, I jus need to think fer a bit!" "You two idiotssss will never get it right, I've already ssssummoned a warder, and am now working on the spellssss." The ogre and the troll looked over to where the Iksar shaman, now Beastlord, was standing. A scaled wolf was crouched by his side. Glowering at the troll, the ogre Beastlord scrunched up his face and concentrated again. This time, a small bear shimmered into existence next to him. He looked down and grinned widely. "I did it!" he crowed. "Big deal, I dids it too," the troll retorted, inspecting his alligator warder. "Regardlesssss, you both know what you need to do once we have thissss mastered, don't you?" All three looked towards the directions their home cities resided and nodded.  
  
{At last} Tutayn muttered to himself in his own language as the spires rose above the hill. "So this is where we're going to teleport to the moon?" MacDonagin asked, strapping on his steel knuckles. "I don't see any wizards . . . wait, there!" he continued, pointing at a white-robed figure standing in the exact center of the spires. Tutayn grinned in spite of himself. Though most of his students knew more about shamanic magic than he did, he prided himself on being able to always have some bit of information from Luclin left to hold over them, otherwise he would cease to be the teacher. His ears twitched as he heard movement near the spires. He could not see anyone there, but he had a funny tingle on his spine. Terash came running up to him and tugged on his tunic's shoulder. {Bro, we need to get up there real soon!} he told him, bouncing from foot to foot. Tutayn sighed and clasped a hand to his forehead. {Look, I know you're anxious to get home too, but we've got to take it slowly for Jatha's sake...} he started, but Terash broke in. {That's just it! We can't take it slowly any more! Her water just broke! She's going into labor RIGHT NOW!!!} At this, Tutayn's hand dropped from his face, revealing eyes wide as saucers. {What are you waiting for? Get her to the spires, I'll hurry ahead and get us all crystals!} he all but shouted and took off in a sprint for the spires.  
  
Everyone crowded in as the flustered Scion announced only one more minute until the spires became active. Jatha's breath came in mewling gasps as contractions racked her. She managed a weak grin as the series faded, and remarked, "This is pathetic, isn't it? A warrior like me, having so much trouble with a couple of kittens?" "Not at all," Tutayn replied, holding her hand tightly. Despite the din, he heard someone growl, "Get off me you imbecile! You're going to crusssssh me! " followed by ",I no can do! They will hear us! Be bery quiet!" However, the voices were lost as the spires glowed in tandem with the crystal shards they all held, in one large group and a small cluster of three off in one corner, seemingly floating in nothingness. As the haze faded, Tutayn opened his mouth wide to yell for swift travel to Shar Vahl, but he stopped short when he saw Rnayni standing before him. She was practically purring as she hugged him tightly. {Congratulations! Don't worry, we've taken care of everything!} she told him, as several Vah Shir midwives hurried Jatha off to a large round tent set up not far away in the round floor of the Nexus. "Wha...?" he stammered. {We took care of it, as I had some idea of when she was due, the birthing crèche is all ready. Just get some rest, we'll call you when it's all over,} she responded, and led him over to a folding chair where he plopped down in relief. She smirked at him, and ran off to help her sister in the tent.  
  
Tutayn deliberately pushed away the sixth congratulatory drink he had been offered. An impromptu baby shower had convened, as many Vah Shir were in the city now, as well as lots of visitors from Norrath. What he was worried about were the voices he had heard right before they teleported. Terash had accepted all of the drinks however, and he was currently passed out at the table next to him in the tavern, a pleased grin on his face...and foam from the ale still clinging to his whiskers. Tutayn's reverie was broken when Rnayni entered, toweling sweat off her fur. {Easy, boy,} she exclaimed with a chuckle as he leaped up and clasped her arms tightly. {Is she . . . I mean . . . how are the . . . how many were . . . did everything . . . ?} he stuttered, but she silenced him with a clawed finger to his lips. {One question at a time ok?} she responded, extricating her arms from his grip and patting him fondly on the head. Pulling over a chair, she sat him back down in his while she eased into hers. {All right, firstly, Jatha's fine, she's still the strong pantheress she always is,} she told him, and Tutayn's fur settled back down from where it had been puffed out. {Next of course, is the litter. You're definitely a father, there were no stillborns. You may be surprised, but there were only two kittens! Apparently, they've inherited their mother's physique, I've got the bruises to show it! One female and a male, their coloring is . . . well, he took off, did he? Can't blame him, honestly,} she said as she realized she was talking to air. She paused, looking around for a bit until she spotted the untouched ale sitting near Tutayn's spot. With a sigh of relief, she reached for it with a dark paw.  
  
On the surface . . .  
  
Hetais growled irritably from behind his desk. Thirty guest visas in one day, and he was far from done, as he was still open for at least three more hours until it was closing time, and then he still had to file the new entries. It had gotten him to the point where he wished they had forced the newcomers to press their weak-skinned hands into a hot acrylia plate like he had done for his own citizenship. A dingle, and the door announced more visitors. If his ears weren't lain back already, they tried to bury themselves in his skull. He was about to try and claim they were closed when he broke off in a stare. He had thought it near to impossible to find a race as big as the Vah Shir from Norrath other than the Barbarians, but he was looking at two examples of ones taller, if oddly looking ones. One, by all his appearance, was an Ogre, but the face that gazed back was not the intelligent face from the legends, but a stupid if good-natured one. His companion was even weirder. His face only vaguely resembled his companion, but it was green colored, bulgy, and his ears were pointed. Surmising it was a Troll, he had no idea of what to expect in behavior from him, but a hissing cough drew his attention downwards. This time, his eyes bulged as he found himself staring at a lizardman. "Excusssse ussss, but we would like to apply for citizensssship," it said in the Common Tongue. "All right," he said forcibly, and started rummaging in his desk for the papers. "So, three citizenship passes for an ogre . . . a troll . . . and a . . . ""Iksar"" . . . Iksar." "Occupation?" he asked absently, reaching for the quill. The Iksar grinned and replied, "Beastlord."  
  
Jatha looked up as Tutayn burst into the Recovery Tent. The midwives next to her started grumbling about manners, but she shooed them out with a wave of her paw. When they were gone, she smiled up at her mate from where she lay in the depression of all the cushions. In each arm was a swaddled bundle of fur, their occupants sleeping quietly. Tutayn gaped openly as his eyes traveled from one kitten to the other. The one on the right, wrapped in female's red, was colored like a regular tiger, orange and black tracing across her face. Her brother in the male's green, however, was almost entirely dark, although his fur was a very deep gray with stripes just barely visible on it. He knelt next to his mate and licked her on the cheek affectionately. {So, does this mean we'll have to get married immediately?} he asked rhetorically, a smile appearing on his face where it had been absent for so long. {Where's the ring?} she responded jokingly, purring. They stared into each other's eyes for a long time, but eventually both pairs dropped to the kittens. {I expect you've named them already, you were never one for patience,} he asked, and received a fond cuff on the head for the mock insult. {You're one to talk . . . Yes, I named them Mistei and Ursius, after our two guardians, who brought us to Norrath after so long.} {I'll bet she'll be thrilled . . . not too sure about her brother though . . .}  
  
Most of the characters, animals, places, and objects contained in this story are from Everquest, which is the property of Verant Interactive and Sony Online Entertainment. 


End file.
